Changes in Time
by FateRogue
Summary: Set in the Marauder's Era. Reynard Renoir and his cousins Anais and Sam transfer to Hogwarts when they are sixteen and meet the Black sisters (whose ages have been changed and such). Doesn't sound very exciting, I know, but if you check out the inside it gets explained in the story.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not quite positive where I'm taking this, but most of my fics are probably going to be Harry Potter centered, involve my character Carina Black, or run into her timeline in some way, shape, or form if possible. However, I do have other stories, such as a Corpse Bride fic as well as a Pitch Perfect one called The Other Mitchell that you should check out. If all goes well with this, I'm going to delete what I have of The Time Jumper and try with this instead. In this, I suppose some characters that you know will be a bit OC, but, hey, my story. And this is also my attempt at writing with a character who has DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder. I've done a bunch of research, but I'm not positive I've gotten it quite right yet...feedback is certainly appreciated.**

Reynard Renoir had two cousins, Anais Malraux and Sam Devault. Their mothers were three English sisters who had each married a Frenchman, and each gotten pregnant around the same time; it was like fate, really.

He and his cousins had been very close for as long as he could remember, though he, being the only boy, was often the most protective of the other two. They all shared the same sharp features, pointed noses and high cheekbones, though their hair and eyes, as said, were all different. He himself had dark hair and eyes, whilst Sam had dirty blonde hair and light green eyes; Anais was the one with brown hair and strange violet eyes, which were uncommon just about everywhere. She had gotten teased for it for years.

They had had happy childhoods, needless to say, but around their seventh or eighth birthdays, things changed. There were whispers of a Dark Lord rising, and so their parents decided to homeschool them. Things worked out alright then, as well, until they didn't.

On the eighth birthday of Anais, her mother and father (Jane and Kylian) were tortured and killed; Anais had been there, hidden away in a closet, able to hear everything and see (if only partly) through the crack in the door. It had been a miracle she had not been found, had not made a sound during the whole ordeal; she did not talk about it much. They did not know who by, or why, but suspicions were that it was this Dark Lord that had been spoken of.

So, she was sent to live with Sam and her parents. However, luck was not with them, and tragedy struck again; on the twelfth birthday of Sam, her parents were murdered; "At least yours was quick," Anais often reminded her sadly.

In the end, they went to live with Reynard, whose parents Anna and Marquis decided then and there that enough was enough, and they were sending the children to Hogwarts where they would be safe. They had promised the three that they themselves would go into hiding while they were away at school, and that they would figure out why the family was being targeted; the teens could only hope they would be alright.

This was how the three fifteen-year-olds had ended up here, sitting on the Hogwarts Express together, Reynard staring out the window and Sam absently shuffling with a deck of muggle cards she had bought. Anais was laid out on her own bench, legs crossed and a book in her hands; she had been having problems since the death of her parents. She sometimes took...episodes, ones where she would not seem at all like herself and instead someone completely different. She had been like that as a child, but Sam's parents Jane and Nicholas had always assumed it was just the girl playing pretend and imagining she was another person; quiet would become loud, thoughtful would become mischievous.

Reynard and Sam had learned how to handle her by now, of course, though most of the time she was herself. They had figured out quickly by researching in some muggle books that she had something called Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Multiple Personality Disorder. When she shifted, they deemed that her other self be called Siana, which was, of course, Anais backward.

She had been fine as of late, though an episode was sure to happen sometime while they were there, and how would they explain that to everyone asking questions?

Anais knew, of course; she sometimes even muttered "yes" or "no" or "No, we can't do that" or things of that sort to herself in response to something her alter happened to be suggesting. More often than not, though (as Siana's ideas got her into a spot of trouble or two), the answer was no, and she would stop talking altogether.

It was difficult for all of them, but they managed.

"So," Reynard attempted to strike up a conversation, wishing to get out of his head and stop worrying for a few moments. He had been extremely concerned for his parents, who he did not want to end up like his aunts and uncles, and did not want to think about that right now. "what house do you want to be in?"

"I say Gryffindor," said Sam, who stopped fiddling with her cards and put them in her robe pocket. "Seems to be the most interesting, doesn't it?"

"I was thinking more like Slytherin," but nevertheless, Reynard shrugged. "House of the cunning and ambitious and all that. Besides, I heard their common room is in the dungeon and that sounds pretty wicked."

"I'd prefer Ravenclaw," Anais offered quietly, before she paused and her eyes fell upon the book in her hands. It took a moment before she spoke again, "Siana would rather it be Gryffindor."

"She can stuff it," Sam reached over and poked Anais on the temple; the girl smiled briefly.

"I'm not repeating what she said back."

The blonde huffed. "Because it was mean, wasn't it? She never liked me much."

The brunette merely smiled again and leaned back, closing her eyes. "No, not much. She likes to rile you up. Be happy it's me right now."

"It doesn't matter who it is," Reynard intervened. "because you're our cousin, all of you. Doesn't matter how many of you are in there."

Anais did not speak, but he knew she had heard, for she always did. She continued to rest her eyes, however, and listen.

"At least it's somewhere new," Sam propped her chin up on her hand, elbow perched on her knee. She blew a strand of hair from her eyes. "I'd really rather not be...well, you know. Things don't go well for 'Nias and I."

He knew what she meant. She and Anais had long ago concluded that they must be bad luck, and that was why their own parents had gone the way they did; they did not want to do the same to their aunt and uncle. He had been unable to convince them otherwise, and Siana was no help, despite the fact that she agreed with him; his cousins were stubborn.

"Well…" Reynard could think of nothing else to say to that, and was almost glad when the compartment door slid open to reveal three girls, one older than them, one their age, and one younger. The older had a wild mass of black curls and brown eyes, while the middle had shining blonde hair (pure, not tainted with other colors like Sam's) and gray eyes. The last girl had long, wavy, dark brown hair, and the same gray eyes as (presumably) her sister. You could tell they were related, despite their few differing features. "Er, can we help you?"

"You're the new ones, correct?" the oldest girl said stiffly.

"Yes," Sam responded, eyeing her. "Why?"

Anais's violet eyes had snapped open at the arrival of their visitors, and she was now sitting up, cross-legged, and watching warily.

"Our parents wished for us to pass along a message," the oldest girl paused, and her eyes fell upon Reynard, voice deathly serious. "You will have no one left soon."

"They're the ones doing this?" came the soft voice of Anais, and the older teen's head snapped around to regard her.

"No!" she said vehemently. "I simply came to pass along a message, and there it is. Soon, your entire family will be dead and there will be no one left but the three of you!"

Narrowed violet eyes followed her every move, and then, the brunette dove for the teen, only to be jerked back by Sam, who wrestled with her for a moment before pinning her arms behind her back.

"No, Anais!" Sam hissed.

"I want to kill her!" his youngest cousin all but snarled, and it was then that the two knew that this was not her, and Reynard knew he should have seen it coming. A situation like this happening would rile them all up, but at least he and Sam had a chance at keeping their tempers; when it came to Anais and Siana, that was not the case, not with the latter being there. "Her and her family! She lies, she's lying—" she struggled against her blonde cousin, before screaming in French, " _Laissez-moi aller cet instant ou je jure que je vais—"_

"You won't do anything," Sam spoke instead in English, grunting when she received a kick to the shin. "Siana, stop!"

"What the bloody hell is going on?" the youngest of their visitors muttered, glancing between them all. The oldest had stepped before the other two, teeth bared and wand out, prepared to attack, but Reynard was quick to intervene. He did not want any trouble when he knew they could not take on the oldest witch, much less all three at once.

"Don't hurt her," he said desperately. "It's not—that's not Anais—"

"The who is she, then?" the middle girl, the blonde, said sharply. "Because it certainly doesn't look like she changed her form to that of someone else."

"She's got a problem," Reynard held out his hands swallowing hard. "A disorder. That's all you need to know. Just, please, leave. We'll handle her."

"So she's mental?" the oldest girl actually laughed. "Oh, that's rich. What's wrong with her, can't stand not being with Mummy and Daddy?"

"Bellatrix!" the youngest girl scolded furiously. "Stop. Let's just go, alright? They've got it in hand, and we need to get back, before…"

The oldest, Bellatrix, stopped laughing abruptly and slowly, warily, lowered her wand. She eyed Siana, then Sam, and finally Reynard, before tipping her head in a small nod and sweeping from the compartment.

The blonde followed, but the youngest hung back, if only for a moment, to offer, "I'm Andromeda Black. Those were my sisters, Narcissa and Bellatrix. Don't mind that they're rather rough around the edges; we've not had such a good time, either."

With those words and a call from behind, Andromeda Black turned on her heel and slipped away; Reynard shut the compartment door behind her.

"Should have let me kill them," Siana muttered angrily, slumping in her seat beside Sam. "I bet their family are the ones who offed your parents. _My_ parents."

Though they were different, she and Anais had always had one thing in common—the love for their parents. Parents who had been dead for a long time, actually.

"Anais would have been devastated if she'd come back to find she'd killed someone," Sam reminded, scowling. "You know that."

"She was angry, too, and you know it."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she didn't _try_ to hold it in before you took over, wand blazing!"

"Didn't even have a wand," Siana huffed and crossed her arms, turning her head. She was sulking. "Didn't draw it. Was gonna kill her with my bare hands if I had to."

"Let her back," Reynard said tiredly, sitting back down and running his hands through his hair. "Your temper will get the two of you killed one day."

The brunette snorted and looked out the window. "Whatever. Like I'd let anyone kill us."

He sighed, and from the straighter posture and primly crossed legs of his cousin, he knew that Siana was not ready to give control back just yet.

Sam leaned back in her seat with a groan.

~~~xxx~~~

Siana leaned over the edge of the boat, rocking it as she peered over into the water; the one nervous first year they shared it with squeaked, eyes wide.

"There's a squid in there somewhere," the girl whispered, her own eyes staring down at the water as though transfixed. "A giant one. And merpeople. Think I could learn mermish?"

"If you tried," conceded Reynard, happy that her previous anger had dissipated. He yelped when the boat rocked again and hastily leaned the other way to steady it. "Oi, get back in the boat before you send us over, will you?"

"Oops," Siana turned to flash him a toothy grin, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Is the poor Rey-Rey scared of falling into the water?"

"Anyone would be, if they couldn't swim," Sam remarked, reaching over to trail her fingers through the water. The little first year boy beside her looked positively terrified as the boat lurched again at her action. She glanced at him, looking a bit guilty. "Oh, sorry. Wasn't thinking."

A tentacle reached up and snaked around the arm of Siana, who grinned and breathed, "Wicked!" as she stroked it. Then, every so slowly, much to the horror of the first year beside them, two large eyes peeked up out of the water and blinked at them.

Reynard felt Sam seize his hand, her own eyes wide as she stared at it, and he was nearly positive that the first year in the boat had soiled himself.

"I like you," Siana told the squid, and leaned over to pat the top of its slimy head. "We're gonna be friends, alright?" It only blinked at her again, retracted its tentacle, and sank back into the water, unable to be seen; the girl looked satisfied. "Think that was a yes. Anyhow—" She stopped suddenly and pressed a hand to her temple, hissing in pain. "Argh! Why can't _I_ experience the sorting?"

There was a pause.

"I don't care if you're the host, this has to be fun for me, too!"

Another pause. "You wouldn't."

A third moment of silence. " _Okay_ , you _would_ , I'm going, Merlin…"

As the boat moved along, Siana closed her eyes and reopened them as Anais (no more than a blink), who wiped her arm disgustedly on Reynard's robe.

"Hey!" he protested as they reached the shore, though nevertheless clambered out and helped his cousins out as well. The poor little first year boy could not get away from them fast enough.

"What did you say to make her leave so quickly?" Sam asked as they followed a stern looking witch, Professor McGonagall, into the entrance hall. They towered over the first years, who were all eyeing them warily and had given them a wide berth the moment they got off the boat. "Normally she'd argue more."

"I told her I'd shove her to the frontlines and let her listen to all the lectures we get in class," Anais replied, and with her naturally quiet voice and the loud chattering of the eager children around them, Reynard and Sam had to huddle closer. "Needless to say, she bolted."

"Good one," Sam laughed, and they turned their attention to the sorting when the professor came back.

Reynard, needless to say, did not pay attention to any of the names before, between, or after theirs, too anxious about their own sorting to care.

First up came Sam.

"Devault, Sam!"

The blonde glanced back at her cousins and plopped down on the stool. The hat had barely been lowered onto her head before it screamed, "Gryffindor!"

She looked immensely satisfied with herself as she made her way to the table, though she did turn her head amidst the congratulations, catch her cousins' eyes, and mouth, _It'll be_ fine.

 _I hope so,_ he thought.

"Malraux, Anais!"

Anais slipped her hand from Reynard's (when had she grabbed his hand?) and carefully ambled her way up to the stool, perching herself just on the edge, as though she were ready to take off at any moment. There was a long silence, one that lasted at least two minutes or more, and Reynard felt his anxiety building; Anais herself fidgeted uneasily on the stool, lips moving silently.

He could only guess the mental battle going on right now, and he did not envy her for it; in fact, he felt bad that he could not help.

However, after the longest time, the hat finally, exasperatedly, called out, "Ravenclaw!"

The relief on Anais's face was obvious as she ripped the hat from her head, handed it to Professor McGonagall, and made a mad dash for the Ravenclaw table. Nearly everyone there was clapping politely and congratulating her, but when it stopped, they were staring at her as though she were a bug under a microscope, so to speak.

"Renoir, Reynard!"

His attention was ripped away from his youngest cousin when his name was called, and he strode up as confidently as he could manage and sat on the stool; however, his shaking hands gave him away as the hat was placed on his head and covered his eyes.

" _Your cousin was a hard one,"_ the hat whispered. " _Her second fought quite furiously for Gryffindor, but as Anais's name was called, she got the final say. I do believe she'll have a headache later—be sure to call for a House Elf and have them send a potion from the infirmary up to her."_

 _Thank you,_ Reynard thought back, wincing in sympathy at the mental lashing Anais was surely receiving now; oh well. Siana would get over it eventually—she always did.

" _You're welcome. Now, let me see...you're certainly no Slytherin, you know, no matter how partial you are to it. Not Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, either. No, I think you'd be best suited for HUFFLEPUFF!"_

As the hat was removed from his head, Reynard made his way to the Hufflepuff table, which was cheering loudly, in a daze. He had had a niggling doubt in the back of his mind that, perhaps, he might not even be sorted at all; it occurred to him now that he should have been more worried about Anais in that aspect.

However, he seated himself between his new housemates and cast his cousins a smile, which they (earnestly and contentedly respectively) returned.

~~~xxx~~~

Anais ran into Bellatrix Black the next day when getting lost on the way to her Potions class, which she shared with the Slytherins. If she shared it with the Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs, it would have been much easier to just follow her cousins, but right now, she had no idea where she was going or what she was doing.

Siana was not helping.

 _Go left,_ she suggested. _Or right. Or left again. Or you could go straight. Or just go back to the Great Hall. Maybe send off sparks?_

"I already tried all that," Anais muttered. "Remember? Your advice is the reason I'm here in the first place.

 _Shouldn't have let me take over, then._ She could see in her mind's eye Siana crossing her arms defensively.

"I _thought_ you knew where you were leading us."

 _Well. You thought wrong._

"Shut up."

"Little Mad Malraux is talking to herself now?" came a mocking voice, and Anais whirled to see the older girl from on the train, Bellatrix Black, standing only a few feet away. "How sweet. Got an imaginary friend?"

Anais did not speak, merely looked away. She had had her first class with Reynard, and it was in Transfiguration that he had told her what Siana did yesterday. To be quite frank, she even remembered some of it; the blinding anger, the fuzzy snatches of furious screaming. She was positive the older girl hated her now, possibly even more than she had (if she did at all) after the incident.

A flash of Siana's anger hit her, and she clenched her jaw. _You heard that warning she gave us. Her family are probably the ones behind the whole thing, followers of that stupid Dark Lord Voldy-whatsit!_

 _Voldemort,_ the brunette thought back. She doubted it, though. The girl had so furiously denied it, so immediately, that it had to be true. However, that did not mean that they did not know about it or had warned her out of a sense of kindness; she had a feeling they supported the Dark Lord and what he stood for, and were happy to be rid of her entire family, who, from her memory, refused to join a side.

"I was talking to you," Bellatrix spoke again, and she eyed her, wand out. Anais did not bother reaching for her own; she could never have defended herself from a witch such as this, who radiated power, no matter how extensive her homeschooling had been. The older witch circled her. "What're you doing out here all alone, Malraux? Should be in class, you should; perhaps I ought to report you if you're skipping."

"I'm not," Anais finally defended. "I got lost. And I wasn't…" She faltered, "I wasn't talking to myself. I was…"

"Talking to yourself." Bellatrix nodded as if that was what the younger teen had said all along, wand tapping her chin as she finally came to a halt. "Going to kill me now, while you've got me? Going to go after my sisters next?"

"Wasn't me," the brunette looked away, turning her attention to the floor beside her.

"Ah, yes," the raven haired witch tossed her head. "The _disorder._ What is it? Are you just mad, or is there something really wrong with you?"

Anais shrugged.

"Come on," Bellatrix advanced, and her wand twirled between her fingers. Her voice was low and commanding, however, not particularly sweet like anyone else would have used to get what they wanted in this situation. "Tell me."

"So you can use it against me?"

"And who said I'd do that?"

"It's a high probability. Why do you want to know?"

Bellatrix snorted and rolled her eyes. "Call it curiosity, brat. Now, are you going to tell me what I want, or what?"

"What do I get out of it?" Anais watched her, knowing it was a daring move, and she could feel Siana's approval at her words.

The Slytherin scoffed at her. "You don't get cursed."

"Show me to my class," the Ravenclaw folded her hands behind her back. "That's all I want. I'll tell you about it, then. _Only_ then. In the meantime, feel free to curse me however much you want—I'm not telling."

"Incorrigible little bugger, aren't you?" Bellatrix's brown eyes gleamed as she took another step closer, but, to the girl's surprise, put her wand away and straightened, jerking her chin. "Come on. What've you got?"

Anais knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, no matter how much Siana kept vehemently repeating, _We can find another way there, don't you_ dare _follow her, don't—_

Anais tuned her out, though she still had a pounding headache from her alter's constant lashing out over being placed in Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor. "Potions."

"Fine." Bellatrix turned on her heel and stalked away, mass of curls flying behind her, and the younger teen had no choice but to follow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Annnnnddddd here we go! Second chapter up, people. Bellatrix finally finds out more about the disorder. I really do hope I'm writing it correctly, but I also feel that my own twists for it may pop in here or there for this particular character as well. Not much more to say, except they you should please review here!**

Anais knew that she would eventually have to face Bellatrix again since the older girl had showed her to her Potions class; they had struck up a bargain, and she would have to keep up her end of it. _Especially_ if she didn't want to be cursed.

She just did not expect to be ambushed by Bellatrix during lunch, her sisters in tow, and Anais eyed them uneasily.

"Well," announced Bellatrix haughtily. "We've come to hear your little sob story. Let's get going."

"We?" Anais inquired, staring at her with a frown. "I agreed to you. Only you."

"No, I don't recall you saying so," the raven haired witch lazily put a hand on her hip, waving the other dismissively. "I recall you saying you would tell me, but you _also_ didn't mention you wouldn't tell anyone else. Besides, I would have told my sisters everything, anyway, and I'm sure you'd rather explain yourself than have me possibly incorrectly parroting you, wouldn't you?"

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "You also said you wouldn't use it against me."

"And I'm not. My sisters, however, I can make no promises for. Now, are you going to hold to your end of the bargain, or do we have to...persuade you?"

The tip of the wand flashing from beneath Bellatrix's sleeve was enough to make Anais sigh, stand, and follow the three witches from the Great Hall; Reynard and Sam, who had noticed the exchange from their own tables, hastily followed.

 _Idiot,_ Siana cursed. _You couldn't have just cursed her and run? Found class on your own? She's mad,_ mad, _I tell you! Have you no sense? C'mon, just let...me..._ out _! I can handle this!_

There was a throbbing beginning around her temples from the rant and the obvious pushing her alter was using in order to be able to take control, but Anais blocked her out as best as she could, thinking, _No. Let me tell them first. Maybe I'll let you out, if only to...demonstrate. But you've got to behave. We'll discuss this after I tell them._

She could feel an arm link through hers, and Sam quirked a brow at her; on her other side strolled Reynard, mirroring the look, but with the opposite brow. The two were obviously curious.

"What are you doing here?" Bellatrix demanded, noticing the two sixth years who had entered the empty classroom. She did not look happy.

"If you can bring your sisters, Anais can bring her cousins," Sam informed her, narrowing her eyes. "Forgive us for not trusting you alone with her."

"That's fair," said Andromeda Black before either of her sisters could speak. She tilted her head. "I wouldn't, either, if I were you. Cautious is good."

"Yes, yes," Narcissa Black dismissed. "Everyone is here. Now, may we hear the story, or not?"

"What?" Reynard asked with a frown, glancing at his cousin. "What did you do?"

"She bargained with me," Bellatrix rolled her eyes at the boy. "Else she wouldn't be here, ready to spill her secrets. I showed her to class when she was lost yesterday instead of cursing her, and she's giving me information on this disorder of hers you were so secretive about."

Sam, too, frowned. "But why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm curious!" snapped the older witch. "Now, allow the girl to tell the tale so I can sate my curiosity and move on!"

Reynard glanced at Anais, clear as day silently asking, _Are you sure you want to do this?_

She only offered him a small nod and turned to face the three Slytherin witches.

"I have Dissociative Identity Disorder," Anais's voice could be heard clearly by everyone, soft as it was, for they had all fallen silent. "Or, rather, what you could say is that I have another personality. Some people have multiple...their alternate personality can have an entirely different background, name, gender, and etcetera, and typically springs up after some form of childhood trauma. I have had it since I was eight years old, when…" She swallowed, feeling as though she had been punched in the gut and had a knife plunged into her head all at once as screams echoed through her head. Whether it was she herself remembering or Siana, she did not know, but she flinched nonetheless and pressed a hand to her temple, rubbing it. She ignored everyone's stares. "When my parents...well. That. I was there—heard it, saw it. As I grew, I heard a voice that wasn't my own in my head, and when I was eleven, Sam, Rey and I all got together and went through every book we could find. We found it in a muggle one, and then along came Siana. I finally knew she was there, and why I couldn't remember things sometimes; it meant she had taken over, and that I was pushed to the background. It frightened me terribly, hearing a voice and feeling emotions that weren't my own sometimes. I didn't like the idea of there being an entirely different person inside of me that was, somehow, still a part of me. But I dealt with it, with the help of my cousins, and Siana and I are on fairly good terms, though we bicker often sometimes over different opinions and likes."

"Sounds like something from a fairy tale," Bellatrix drawled, uncaring, seemingly. "A dark one, but still a fairy tale. A voice in your head? Another person in your mind? You're sure you're not just possessed?"

"Positive," Anais regarded her, and she winced again when Siana suddenly broke free, all but screaming in her mind, _Let me out already, stupid! You said I could face them, and now is the time it should happen!_ The brunette shut her eyes tightly, murmuring to herself, "If you want out so badly, fine, then, but please...behave."

And then, there was a tug at her conscious as Anais Malraux slipped away, and Siana opened her eyes.

~~~xxx~~~

Sam knew the minute Anais began to mutter to herself that something was bound to happen; sometimes it was hard to tell, but times like this, she just _knew._

She, of course, was right. The moment Anais's violet eyes fluttered open and her hand dropped from her temple, it was obvious; her entire stance had changed. Her normally relaxed stance had straightened to a defensive and proud one, shoulders back and chin up, those unique eyes of hers blazing with an inner fire Anais herself hid away from the world.

It had manifested itself in Siana, who was everything Anais was not, who had lived through the murders of her parents, but had not been rescued as Anais had; no, she had been alone from then on and survived on her own. Or, at least, that was her past, according to both herself and Anais. It was something of a different outcome, something of a, " _What could have happened,"_ as opposed to what _did._

Sam knew she would have to watch this interaction carefully; or, rather, she and Reynard. They were something of protectors for their cousin as well as supporters. They kept Siana from completely losing her temper and doing something that later Anais would move to regret, and even made sure that Anais did not do anything that _Siana_ wouldn't like. Well, tried. That did not always work, but the two sorted it out on their own more often than not, for which Sam was thankful. Being the mediator between two people in one body was hard—she had tried before.

"Y'know," Siana remarked, glancing back at Reynard and Sam; that was another thing. Her voice. It was small differences no one else would notice, but her voice was at a slightly higher pitch than Anais's, was louder, and their manner of speech differed slightly, even. Sam had picked up on these things over the years. "If you'd have let me at her on the train, we wouldn't be having this problem."

"If we'd have let you at her on the train, we'd all have a bigger problem," Reynard reminded her. "Or be dead."

His uneasy glance was cast at the Black sisters, all of who were watching with strange expressions on their faces; Siana only shrugged and turned to face them.

"Woulda been worth it. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah!" The smile she directed at Bellatrix was rather sardonic. "Possession. It's not possession, and she's not a liar. I'm just as real as anyone else here, mate. Learn to think."

The Slytherins were studying her hard, and the brunette raised her eyes to the ceiling and clasped her hands behind her head, her message obvious: _I'll wait._

"You're really a different person," stated Narcissa, narrowing her eyes at the girl.

Siana's smile was, perhaps, not quite as sarcastic this time. "Right in one."

"But yet, you're not."

"Uh huh."

"You're a manifestation of everything Malraux is not and will not allow herself to be, spawned from the mental and emotional trauma she suffered in her childhood. You developed a conscious of your own and became real."

The brunette actually full on grinned, moving a few steps forward, and began to circle the blonde witch, looking her up and down. She finally came to a halt before the Black sisters; Bellatrix eyed her warily, wand in hand, and pushed her sister back a bit.

"I like you," Siana pointed at Narcissa. "You get the most of it. Least _you're_ smart. Unless that one," she gestured to Andromeda. "is just listening. Guess she probably is, though, else she'd have spoken more already. Reminds me of my sweet, sweet little host." Her eyes flickered to Bellatrix. "You, though...I don't like you. You've probably got something and everything to do with our family's death, or _your_ family does. I reckon you're one of those sadistic ones who support that Lord Voldy-whatsit and his hatred of muggles and the like."

"And I _reckon,"_ Bellatrix mocked her, though she had an edge in her voice that made Sam reach into the pocket of her robes; from the corner of her eye, she saw Reynard doing the same. "that you'd do well, whelp, not to speak of things you don't understand. You know nothing of me, or my family, and if you say another word I shall cut out your tongue!"

" _Do it,"_ Siana looked positively delighted at being able to rile the witch up. "Please. Do it."

"Siana," Reynard whispered frantically. "Stop, alright? This isn't helping, she's not looking happy…"

"Because she can't handle the truth." Nevertheless, Siana rolled her eyes and groaned when he locked his free hand around hers and tugged her toward their side of the room. "Ugh, yeah, yeah, I get it, I need to shut up because she might really cut my tongue out."

"You wouldn't be able to handle not talking, anyway," Sam retorted, and Siana kicked her in the shin hard; the blonde winced and scowled. "It's true, though."

Her cousin merely scrunched her nose and looked away, not replying, though she knew that she had won.

"Are we done here?" Sam turned to Andromeda, Narcissa, and Bellatrix, who looked more than a little annoyed. "You got what you wanted. You can leave us be now."

"Yes," Bellatrix hissed. "We're done."

She swept from the room, sisters in tow, stowing her wand away as she went.

Reynard and Sam exchanged looks, lowering their own wands, and Siana began to laugh hysterically.

"Psycho," Sam flicked her ear.

Siana stopped laughing abruptly and tackled her.

Reynard only sighed and sat down amidst the grunts and yelps from his cousins; it was best to just wait it out in situations like these.

~~~xxx~~~

Siana mumbled under her breath as she exited Transfiguration, wondering why on earth she had forced Anais back during the class.

 _Oh, wait,_ she thought sourly to herself. _Because Anais said there would be actual work being done, not writing notes on parchment. Stupid girl._

Unlike she would have been in this situation, Anais was quiet. That was alright with her—she did not enjoy the headaches from the rare times Anais did get well and truly mad at her when she took over. They were irritating, and she didn't like them a bit.

Considering she didn't like them, though, Siana knew she did it to Anais quite often. It was mean, sure, but it wasn't like she was doing it for that reason; no, she was just a vocal personality who didn't like being pushed to the back and made to sit quietly.

Anais was the observer, Siana the...er, well. She was the doer. She did things, acted on them. Anais was content to sit and watch and listen; though, that _was_ what often gave Siana incentive to do the things she did, because Anais had gotten proof for her in her watching.

They got along better than others in their situation, she knew. Sure, they annoyed and belittled each other, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Sometimes, when Anais was bored, Siana would think of things that she found particularly amusing and send them to the forefront of their shared mind, making her host laugh aloud and gain strange looks. Not that she cared, though.

No, they certainly did not hate each other, and while they might not work as great as if they were a well-oiled machine, they made things work out. They were almost like…

 _Like twin sisters,_ Siana triumphantly came up with. _Except, twin sisters who share the same mind, body, and soul, but have two completely opposite personalities and backstories._

 _You're mad,_ Anais grumbled to her. _Tell anyone that, and they'll ship us off. Only the muggles would_ really _get it, and I hear they use shock therapy or something for people like us._

 _Ah, shut up._ The alter waved a mentally dismissive hand. _Where's the Great Hall again? I want to bother Sam some more._

 _Of course you would. It's right around the corner, you buffoon._

"I resent that," Siana muttered, though she only felt mildly offended as she turned left as instructed and made her way down the corridor, intent on getting to the great hall. However, she was stopped when she bumped into something and fell hard on her back; when she lifted her head, (cursing in such a way that if a professor heard, she would surely lose points) there were four boys sprawled out on the ground in front of her.

Two had black hair, though one wore glasses; the third boy had sandy brown hair, and the third, a dirty blond. They were as different as any boys could be, and the two dark haired ones were swearing to themselves, the one with glasses clutching a shimmering cloak in his hand.

 _Gryffindors,_ came the realization from Anais, who was obviously struggling to focus from her place on the inside, unable to do anything but watch. _With an Invisibility Cloak!_

Siana thought, selfishly, if only for a moment, that now she would see what it felt like.

They were indeed Gryffindors, however, the entire lot of them, and they were certainly in possession of an Invisibility Cloak.

Siana reached out suddenly and snagged it, tugging hard and wrenching it from the grasp of the boy with the glasses; his hazel eyes widened in shock, and he reached desperately for it.

"Give that back!" he cried frustratedly. "That's mine!"

"And you bumped into me," Siana shot back, standing. "Apology first, demands later, moron."

He stared at her, jaw clenched, and then sighed and held out a hand as they all scrambled to their feet after her. "James Potter. This is Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. I'm sorry we bumped into you, alright? Kinda hard to see under there with four of us. You won't tell, will you?"

"Siana Malraux," the brunette knew that using her name was something she probably shouldn't be doing, but she was definitely not Anais and though the other girl (or the same girl?) was the host, she was not the only one in the body. "And I won't tell."

The boy looked relieved and reached for the cloak. "Great, then just—"

"But you don't know that," Siana could not stop from smirking. It was actually rather fun playing with this boy, whose eyes lit up with irritation when she did not hand the cloak over immediately. "I could tell anyone I wanted to, hand it in to a professor…"

"Ah, but you forget," said Sirius Black casually, twirling a wand between his fingers. Siana knew where she had heard the name before, now; the Black sisters. They shared some of the same features, not enough to be siblings, but perhaps cousins. "There are four of us, and one of you. If we really want it, we can take it. But, I'd really rather not have to curse such a pretty little head as yours, you know. Perhaps we can simply have it back and be on our way?"

"Not a chance, silver tongue," Siana drew her wand; or, rather, Anais's. Anais had the other wand that had chosen her alter stashed away in a drawer in their dormitory and had forgotten to pick it up this morning. The wand currently in her possession would not work perfectly. "You'd better back your bloody arse up before I send you sailing."

"Are all Ravenclaws this hostile, Remus?" The boy let out a bark of laughter and glanced at the sandy haired boy with the scars, Remus.

"Only if all Gryffindors are this stupid," the Ravenclaw (oh, how she wished she were a Gryffindor still) smiled sweetly and jabbed the wand at him.

The boy, Sirius Black, fell back onto his bottom and skidded a few feet; when he stopped, his mouth was open as he stared at her.

"Here," Siana tossed the cloak to James. "Take it. Next time, watch where you're going. Oh, and you owe me a favor now."

"A favor?" Remus asked, watching her carefully. "What kind of favor?"

She shrugged. "Dunno yet."

"And I thought your name was Anais?"

Siana felt a jolt inside and hastily replied with, "Don't forget about that favor, Remmy-boy. Now, I've gotta get some lunch. See ya around!"

With those words, she turned and bolted, Anais mentally cursing her all the way.

~~~xxx~~~

Reynard reclined back against a tree beside the Black Lake, watching as Sam lay with her head in Anais's lap, the other girl braiding her hair. They had been out here for about an hour, speaking and generally playing around, and it was nice. They had not had a moment like this since two weeks ago, after their arrival.

"I don't particularly remember meeting them," Anais was saying to Sam, finally stopping with the braids and instead absently began to run her fingers through the dirty blonde locks. Their cousin hummed in appreciation. "The Marauders. Siana must have, sure, and I remember snatches; thinking, _Gryffindors with an Invisibility Cloak,_ hearing their names, remembering a couple fuzzy faces. Their voices are implanted in my head, however, and that's how I know it happened. That Remus boy, I remember him questioning why Siana didn't introduce herself as Anais and she bolted."

"Bloody hell," breathed Sam, before closing her eyes and humming in appreciation as the other girl played with her hair. It was relaxing for her, Reynard knew. "We've told her time and again that she really shouldn't do that…"

"It's not like she'd listen," Reynard remarked, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "She's too stubborn. I mean, she's never particularly liked listening to our advice, anyway. If she wants to introduce herself as she is, then she will. It's as simple as that, just like I'd introduce myself as Reynard Renoir, she would introduce herself as Siana Malraux."

"Rey, she's a basket case sometimes, you've got to admit," Sam opened one light green eye to peek up at him; he glanced down at her, his own dark eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yes," he admitted. "But she's our basket case."

"Anais is our brainiac," Sam shut her eye and reached over blindly slap Reynard on the knee. He flicked her on the forehead, and she opened both eyes this time to glare at him. "Hey!"

"Hey," he grinned at her. "What were you saying?"

"I shouldn't tell you, now," the blonde turned her head away, harrumphing.

"Come on!" the boy leaned over her, attempting to poke her cheek, but nothing seemed to be working. "I just want to know what you think I am!"

"You were mean to me!"

"I flicked you!"

"It counts!"

"Shut up," Anais chuckled, and Reynard and Sam both peered over at her. Her hands had removed themselves from Sam's hair, and she leaned back on her elbows to regard them amusedly. "She was going to say that she's the powerhouse and you're the protector."

"The basket case slash brainiac," Reynard mused. "The powerhouse, and the protector. No question as to who's who."

That was true. Siana had a few screws loose, so to speak, though it was not obvious most of the time, and Anais was indeed very intelligent. Sam herself was truly the most powerful of them all in sheer magical strength, and Reynard, though not the smartest or the most intelligent, was very quick and clever and would stop at nothing to protect his cousins, though not perhaps in the most obvious of ways. It made sense.

"Sounds like something from a movie," Sam laughed. "We can be a group, like those Marauders."

"I like that idea," Anais suddenly grinned, eyes alight, and Reynard stared at her, wondering when she had gotten so loud, when it hit him; Siana. However, she was gone as soon as she came and Anais blinked, before the grin toned down to a smile and she relaxed back into the grass as though it had not happened. Perhaps she was just ignoring it. "I like it as well. Siana suggested we call ourselves the Rogues. Interesting idea, isn't it?"

"Yes, actually," Reynard ruffled her hair, and she rolled her eyes and leaned away. "Rogues it is, right, Sammy?"

"Shut up, Rey," said Sam, and slapped his shoulder. "Don't call me Sammy. But, yeah, it sounds just fine by me. Not like we aren't a bunch of outcasts, anyway."

It was true. They did not bother talking to many other people in their houses, not often, for they were already all too close to bother making other friendships at the moment. Besides, who could be friends with them and accept their terrible (not to mention unlucky) pasts _and_ Anais's condition?

 _Well_ , he mused to himself. _It's not like it matters, anyway. We have each other, and for now, that's all that matters._

And that was how the Rogues came into existence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Review!**

Anais glanced at Severus Snape, her new Potions partner, and wondered why Slughorn had decided to make everyone switch off. He had been primarily alone at first, for no one had wanted to partner with the sullen Slytherin boy, and she herself had been previously partnered with Rabastan Lestrange. However, that had changed, and now the boy was glaring at the desk in front of him, not once glancing her way.

"Alright," announced Slughorn jovially. "Everyone, get to know your new partner for the next fifteen minutes or so before we begin. I do hope you all get along; after all, they'll be your partners for the rest of the year!"

She didn't understand him one bit. The previous arrangement had been working just fine, so why change it?

Since the class was split into Ravenclaws and Slytherins, however, there was nothing more than the students all staring at each other blankly, obviously wondering the same as she, and more than one face was filled with disdain at the sight of their partner.

The minutes ticked by, and Slughorn sat at his desk, a frown on his face as he watched them.

Anais took pity on the man, leaned over to Snape, and whispered, "What's your favorite subject besides Potions?"

The greasy haired boy glanced over at her, eyes narrowed, before curling up his lip at her and looking away. He bent over his book and did not pay her any mind after that.

Anais felt a twinge of annoyance. _Git._

She decided then and there that this arrangement would not work, and Siana inwardly agreed with, _No kidding._

She leaned over her own Defense book and pored over the pages for a long few minutes, before there was a tap to her shoulder, and she turned around, brows furrowed.

~~~xxx~~~

Narcissa Black sat behind her, hands returning to their primly folded position on the desk, back straight as she regarded the brunette girl.

"Yes?" Anais questioned quietly, for the room was not all that loud aside from the few murmurs of people speaking to any friends they had nearby rather than obeying the instructions of the Professor and conversing with their partner.

"It's quite dull in here, don't you think?" Narcissa inquired politely.

"Yes." Anais stared at her, and the blonde could tell the other witch felt a bit awkward with the small talk. (She herself was not sure if she preferred this to boredom or not) The brunette paused. "I thought you would have no need to speak to me again after last time."

Last time, which had been two weeks ago. Neither girl had looked in the other's direction since then, though Anais had completely missed that, despite being as observant as she was, Bellatrix and Andromeda had both been watching her and her cousins for a while now. Or, rather, Bellatrix had been watching Anais while Andromeda spoke to Reynard, who was friends with a muggleborn boy she seemed to fancy. That last bit, however, was not Narcissa's business and certainly not something she approved of, so she put it from her mind.

"I didn't," Narcissa raised a brow. "However, speaking to you is a better alternative than any of the others, isn't it? Most members of my own house are imbeciles who I have no wish to associate with, or are beneath my status."

"Beneath your status."

"Yes."

Anais regarded her with well masked disapproval, though it was easy enough for someone as perceptive as Narcissa to pick up on. "I see. And you're still speaking to me?"

"You're a pureblood. You haven't been labeled a blood traitor, either, though your family, alongside Renoir and Devault's, has always straddled the line."

The other girl knew it was true. While their families did not hate muggles, they did not outright love them, either; muggles were mostly overlooked or ignored, for they had no particular interest in them. That did not, although, mean they thought the muggles were beneath them or needed to be eradicated; human was human, after all, and no one deserved that.

Their families had tended to stay amongst themselves in general, really. There was no reason for Narcissa, or any other Black, for that matter, to avoid her. her family was tolerable, and it would be able to be overlooked if any of them were friends.

It came as a surprise to her when the brunette actually chuckled, though her tone was reminiscent of a person thinking of something bittersweet. "Yeah, they have."

"Would you two stop your prattling?" Snape hissed, turning around to glower at them both. "I am attempting to read!"

"Would you stop your incessant whining?" Narcissa responded immediately, scrunching her nose at him in irritation. "Severus, really, we're simply trying to have a civil conversation and you seem intent on ruining it!"

"It's pointless," he scowled at her. "It's not as though Malraux cares one bit about what you're talking about, Narcissa. She's only trying to pass the time, and soon after, she'll be back to ignoring you because you're a Slytherin."

"Prejudiced, I see," came the soft voice of Anais, whose violet eyes were trained firmly upon the boy. To anyone else, she would seem very calm; to the Slytherins, however, the slight furrow her her brow and wrinkle of her nose displayed her annoyance. "I, however, am not. You've really no sense at all if you think I'd not be friends with someone because of their house, of all things. Ridiculous."

Snape sneered. "Ridiculous? Then why is it, Malraux, that I see you only in the company of your cousins and not with anyone else?"

"Perhaps I prefer their company," the well-spoken Ravenclaw narrowed her eyes. "more than the likes of others such as you. I find the Blacks to be quite...interesting. You, however...plain. Unfortunately so. You have intelligence and ambition at your disposal, sure, and you seem to have a knack for Potions and the Dark Arts, but you're nothing special otherwise, Snape."

Narcissa knew that, out of house loyalty, she should be defending Severus Snape, but it was interesting to see him receive such an even tempered tongue lashing from the other girl, who it seemed did not like him very much at all. She assumed that this was Anais and not her supposed alter, Siana, for what she had witnessed of Siana was...different, to say at least.

The remark about her being powerful did wonders for her ego as well; everyone liked to have their ego stroked.

"Alright," Slughorn called. "Listen up." The talking slowly tapered off, and both Anais and Snape turned in their seats, not casting another glance back at Narcissa; Anais leaned back in her chair in such a relaxed, improper fashion that it made the blonde wince. "I'd like you to begin making this potion…"

And so it went. Narcissa worked diligently with her own partner, whilst subtly keeping an eye or Snape and Anais, who would hiss things at each other during the making of their own Potion. Snape had always been peculiar about his Potions, and it seemed that he had attempted at one point to not only correct Anais, but to tell her he'd do the entire assignment altogether. The girl had calmly refused, and needless to say, it only got him riled up even more.

So riled up, in fact, that everyone in the Slytherin Common Room was unfortunate enough to listen to the boy rant about it afterward.

~~~xxx~~~

When Anais found herself being picked on by some older Slytherin, a Head Boy called Lucius Malfoy and another boy, also older than she, named Rodolphus Lestrange, it was no surprise that the moment a curse was sent flying her way, it was Siana who deflected it.

Siana was always wanting to come out during confrontations, no matter how well Anais was able to handle herself; she suspected that her alter enjoyed the chaos.

"Voldy-whatsit not teaching you guys proper fighting technique?" Siana taunted, and Rodolphus roared in rage but was intercepted by Malfoy, who watched her with narrowed eyes, wand out and ready. "Can't hit a girl with a spell?"

"I'll show you," hissed Rodolphus. "Little freak. I've seen you muttering to yourself in the halls—you're mad!"

"Mad?" Siana took a bit of offense at that. "We're not _mad,_ thank you! You're some raving lunatic who stalks girls younger than he is, and you call _us_ mad?"

"I wasn't referring to your cousins, Malraux," he squirmed in Malfoy's hold, but the boy held firm, gaze calculating as he watched on. "I was talking about _you."_

The girl could not quite understand why he thought that she meant her cousins, until it finally hit her; she had said _us,_ not _me._ She winced, knowing she had made a mistake, and attempted to make up for it my bluffing, "Yeah, well, hard to pay attention to your words when all I can find myself staring at is that ugly mug of yours. Bet your mother is just as ugly as you are!"

Childish, extremely so, but Anais was the one who came up with the clever quips and immediate comebacks.

It did, however, only serve to make Rodolphus angry enough to break free of Malfoy, who made no attempts at stopping him, and stomp up to her, towering over her smaller frame.

"Little girl," he breathed heavily through his nose, teeth clenched. "You have no idea what you've just done. Insulting a member of the House of Lestrange is bad; insulting a member of the House Lestrange betrothed to the House of Black is even worse. You _will_ get your comeuppance, mark my words."

"I think," said Malfoy finally, his lips curling into a sneer as he strolled over, leaning down to meet her eyes. "That Malraux might need a lesson on how to respect those of a higher position than she."

A slow, wicked grin spread across Rodolphus's face, and he took a step forward, then two, then three, forcing Siana to back away until she was pressed against the wall, trembling with rage. She felt a stab of fear, though, because there were two of them and one of her; what match did she stand against them?

"Get away from me," she snapped, but he paid her no heed and struck her across the face; her anger overcame her and she bit down hard on the wrist of the boy before he had fully drawn his hand away, digging her teeth in hard.

He howled and struck at her again, but she only bit down harder and jammed her wand into his ribcage, thinking hard (oh, why couldn't she be as good as Anais at this?), _Flipendo!_

It sent Rodolphus flying back, and she could taste the blood on her lips and flinched, disgusted, but had no time to get rid of it before her wand was sailing from her hand and into Malfoy's. The boy eyed her and smirked, not seeming at all bothered by his companion's pain as the other teen scrambled to his feet, clutching his bleeding wrist.

"My, my," Malfoy drawled, almost amused by this as he casually flicked his wand at her. Siana slammed back against the wall again, grunting from the impact. "Someone has a temper." His smirk dropped. "I think that temper should be controlled. _Crucio."_

Siana bit back a scream, though a high pitched noise forced its way up her throat and to her closed lips as she ground her jaw and her knees buckled; she fell hard to the ground.

The pain was excruciating, more so than anything she had ever felt in her life, and she regretted dropping something into Rabastan Lestrange's cauldron (resulting in an explosion that sent the boy to the Hopsital Wing) in Potions when she had taken over, now. Nothing could be worse than this.

Finally, she could not stop it. She screamed.

However, the pain stopped abruptly as Malfoy's wand, her own, and Rodolphus's all flew into a long fingered, outstretched pale hand; panting, her eyes travelled from the hand, to the arm, and then the face.

Bellatrix Black stood there, a look of displeasure on her face as she directed her wand at her fellow Slytherins.

 _Bloody hell,_ thought Siana sluggishly. _Don't need her. Coulda done just fine on my own...ugh, I can't do this...Anais…_

She felt her entire world fade to black, and when Anais opened her eyes and saw Bellatrix hovering over her housemates, wand drawn, she had no idea what was going on. She remembered blacking out in Potions, then leaving Potions, and then being cornered in the hall by…

 _Oh no._ She made to scramble to her feet, but her knees gave way from underneath her and she fell again with a yelp; no one paid her any heed as she tried again.

Whatever Siana had said, it had certainly awarded the both of them with a Cruciatus; she had not been able to feel it then, surprisingly, but she was certainly feeling the aftershock now.

This time she moved again and, though her body quivered, she managed to use the wall to hold herself upright and watched, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Idiots," growled Bellatrix. "What do you think you're doing?"

"That girl," spat Rodolphus, getting to his feet and pointing an accusing finger at Anais. "Dropped something in Rabastan's potion earlier! He's in the hospital wing!"

Bellatrix's gaze slowly wandered to find Anais's. The girl stared back, hastily shaking her head that no, it most certainly had not been her.

The older witch's eyes fell upon Rodolphus again. "I see. And we can't have anyone hurting dear baby brother, can we?"

"I see what you're doing, Bella," this time, he pointed at her, obviously irritated. "Stop trying to mock me. You'd have done worse for your sisters and you know it."

"Perhaps," Bellatrix carelessly twirled her wand in her right hand, still holding the other three in her left. Anais noted something in her posture, however, as she faced down with this boy; she did not have the same proud, haughty look she typically possessed. There was a mask there, a cool facade that had been thrown up the minute she encountered these two. "Lucius, my _dear_ future brother-in-law, as Head Boy, how could you _dare_ do such a thing? And in an open corridor in the middle of the night, to boot?"

"What are you doing out here?" the blonde boy hissed. "What reason have you got to wander, Black? This is private business. Unless you'd like to be punished, I suggest you take your leave."

"I could have wanted to join in on the fun," the witch pouted, and Anais's heart stopped beating. Could that really be what she wanted? To hurt her all over again, to participate in such a vile act? "What did she say to make you angrier than before, anyway?"

"She said that I was ugly," Rodolphus curled his lip up in distaste. "Obviously she wouldn't know good looks if it hit her. I mean, look at her!"

Bellatrix raised a brow and hummed, sauntering over to circle Anais, who had managed to push herself off the wall and was watching warily. She wondered if perhaps Siana was right, and that she should stay away from the older witch; it certainly seemed like her alter was being proved right.

Bellatrix hummed again, and she appeared almost predatory as she circled Anais a second time; something hard pressed into her hip, and she barely suppressed a flinch. The pressure did not go away, even after the raven haired girl had strode casually away as if nothing had happened; Anais furrowed her brows, feeling as though something were very wrong here.

"I don't know," Bellatrix shrugged carelessly, obviously nothing like her prim and proper sister Narcissa. "Hideous little thing, perhaps you're right, but her eyes are really quite strange...violet, can you believe it?"

"That doesn't matter," snapped Malfoy. "Either you go on your way, or you stay. The choice is yours."

"Fine, fine," the raven haired girl rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her mass of curls. "I suppose I'll stay." She paused, lazily taking a step or so back. "Oh, by the way, I'd watch out if I were you. She's armed."

"Wha—"

 _STUPEFY!_

Malfoy collapsed bonelessly, and Anais quickly turned and shot off a spell at Rodolphus; however, he was expecting it and deflected it easily, firing off a jet of red light at her.

 _No no no...PROTEGO!_ Anais had at first instinctively raised her free arm to cover her face, the other hand coming up as well after she thought the spell, and had closed her eyes. When nothing happened to her, however, she peeked from between her arms to see a shimmering shield in front of her and Rodolphus standing there, eyes narrowed.

He was quick to fire off another curse, however, and it made Anais wince as it impacted with her shield; she dropped it quickly and thought, _Flipendo!_

She shot it off again after he deflected it and quickly followed it with a _stupefy,_ gripping her wand tightly. As she watched Rodolphus fall, she sagged against the wall, swallowing hard, and closed her eyes for a few moments to collect herself.

She could not believe that had just happened. Bellatrix Black, Slytherin, had helped her. Perhaps not directly, but she had, and against her fiance (Anais could guess this much) and future brother-in-law, no less!

When she opened her eyes, Bellatrix had just finished floating Malfoy into a broom closet alongside Rodolphus, the two slumped against each other, unconscious. The dark haired witch cackled and slammed the door shut, casting a spell that was obviously meant to glue it shut.

"There," Bellatrix said, looking satisfied with herself. "The imbeciles should be locked in there all night and part of the morning—they won't remember a thing, either."

"You obliviated them?" Anais could not help from questioning, pushing herself off the wall. Her jaw throbbed as she made her way to the older witch, who had stiffened at her voice.

"Yes." Bellatrix cast her a sideways glance and then turned away, already beginning to stalk down the hall. "Come, Malraux." Anais tilted her head in confusion, but the older girl only repeated exasperatedly, " _Now,_ brat!"

The brunette kept her wand out and dutifully followed along beside her, the halls illuminated slightly from Bellatrix's wand.

"Thank you," Anais finally managed quietly, staring straight down the hall. She did not know why Bellatrix had come out to find her, why she had helped, or even how she knew something had been going on, but she intended to find out why.

"Not another word on it," Bellatrix sniffed disdainfully and walked a little faster.

Anais quickened her own pace, peering over at the older witch. "Why?"

"Why what, Malraux? Why are you so dense?"

"No. Why help?" the brunette stopped walking, and Bellatrix continued on a few steps before stopping, turning around with a scowl in place.

"Keep moving, now."

"No." Anais crossed her trembling arms and managed to hold her ground, though the taller girl towered over her. "I...I want to know."

"You interest me," the raven haired girl snapped. "alright? You are one of the strangest people I've ever met with that _disorder_ of yours, and I'd like it if we could...speak more about it."

Anais stared at her, disbelieving. The first time Bellatrix had wanted to know, she could have passed it off as simple curiosity, but now, she wanted to know more? What exactly was she playing at? Something seemed very off, here…

"Is this some misguided attempt at friendship?"

"No!" Bellatrix curled her lip up at the younger girl. "Like I'd want to be friends with the likes of you, Malraux. I'm a member of the most Ancient and Noble House of Black—I have allies, I have my family, but I do not have _friends."_

Anais was convinced, now, that Bellatrix did perhaps want her as a friend, but had absolutely no idea how to go about it, _or_ how to treat one. However, she only shrugged at the older witch noncommittally, turned on her heel, and began to march in the direction of her common room.

"Hey!" there was the sound of heeled boots clacking against stone. "Hey, Malraux, stop!"

The brunette did not, and was promptly shoved into the wall and seized by the collar. Bellatrix leaned in close, brown eyes flashing, and hissed, "I told you to stop, and you'll do as I say if you know what's good for you."

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could feel a faint flash of anger from Siana, though it was gone as soon as it came and Anais found herself swallowing hard at the furious face of Bellatrix Black. Siana might be near fearless, far better suited for Gryffindor, but she was not. Anais knew very well the things a witch like this could do to her, and she forced herself to keep completely still, lest it provoke the older girl.

"Now," Bellatrix sneered at her, releasing her collar and backing away. "Let's get moving, shall we? Preferably in the direction _I_ want."

Anais decided not to question what sort of direction she would want and instead hurried along after her.


End file.
